Calbert Cheaney

FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT CALBERT CHEANEY - PAGE 4

At the midpoint of the preseason, the list of injured NBA players--which already includes Antonio McDyess and Chris Webber--keeps growing. The Philadelphia 76ers announced Wednesday that Eric Snow will need surgery on his fractured left thumb. Orlando's Tracy McGrady (lower back), New York's Marcus Camby (left foot), Atlanta's Theo Ratliff (hip and groin), Phoenix's Dan Majerle (right finger) and Cleveland's Tyrone Hill (sore back) are among the players expected to miss at least a few more games over the remainder of the preseason.

- Record: 21-10, 11-7 in the Big 10. - Coach: Lou Henson, 17th year, 337-160. - Strengths: Should have effective low-post game with Deon Thomas picking up the scoring slack in the absence of Andy Kaufmann (academically ineligible). The 6-10 sophomore shot .544 from the field in his first year of play, second- highest percentage among returning Big 10 starters behind Indiana's Calbert Cheaney. - Weaknesses: Inexperience (seven freshmen and sophomores) will hurt the Illini in all phases of the game, and lack of depth with only nine scholarship players will be a difficult obstacle to overcome.

Miles Reynolds knows there will be a target on Young's back this season. The senior guard just took a burden off his. Reynolds orally committed to Saint Louis on Wednesday night, choosing Jim Crews' Billikens over LSU and Columbia. “It is a huge burden off my back going into the season,” Reynolds said. “It really just came down to how I would fit in right away. They will be losing two senior starting guards, so if I do what I'm supposed to, when I get on campus I will have a great opportunity to play right away.

The Philadelphia 76ers, hoping to add more depth and versatility, signed guard Greg Buckner and forward Monty Williams on Thursday. Buckner, who spent all three of his NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks got an $18 million, six-year deal that starts at $2.4 million this season. Williams, a nine-year veteran who played the last three years with Orlando, signed a two-year deal reportedly worth the minimum of about $875,000. - Former Bulls forward Ron Artest, now with the Pacers, faces harassment charges alleging that he left a menacing phone message for the mother of his 16-month-old son. Artest, 22, surrendered to police in New York last week to face one count of criminal contempt and two counts of harassment stemming from his alleged violation of a court order obtained by Jennifer Palmer.

The injury-plagued Washington Bullets have invited former Seton Hall standout Andrew Gaze for a tryout and are prepared to offer him a 10-day contract if he performs up to expectations. The 6-foot-5-inch Gaze averaged 13.6 points per game for the 1988-89 Seton Hall squad that lost in overtime to Michigan in the NCAA final. He was voted the most valuable player in the West Regional and scored 20 points in the semifinals against Duke. Gaze is known for his shooting accuracy from the outside.

The rumors had been that Juwan Howard has been looking for a $12.9 million-per-year deal over seven years as a free agent this summer. Wrong, as it turns out. Howard's agent, David Falk, says those estimates are, you guessed it, too low. "He could be the most sought-after free agent in the history of sports," says Falk. Howard has proven himself more than a top NBA player, but one who works hard and cares, much rarer these days. In the game in which Howard's Bullets were being finally knocked from the playoffs against Toronto, he scored 42 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and when he went to the bench, exhausted, buried his head in his hands and cried.

Indiana forward Calbert Cheaney was a runaway winner of the Wooden Award, his third major player of the year trophy in a week. Cheaney, the Big 10's career scoring leader, received 4,799 points in voting by 1,000 members of the media. Kentucky's Jamal Mashburn was second with 4,306 points. "It is definitely an honor to win an award that has gone to such great players as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and David Robinson," Cheaney said in a taped statement made before the presentation.

A ticket broker is hoping to cash in on Indiana's fanaticism with basketball, selling $3 tickets for $25 to watch the filming of scenes for the movie "Blue Chips." Frankfort High School's gym is sold out for all four games, but any fan wanting to watch the filming for the movie starring Nick Nolte and featuring some of the top players and coaches in the country can still get in. Courtside Tickets, an Indianapolis-based ticket company, says it has tickets for the games at $25 each.

The Bulls announced Wednesday the signing of free-agent forward Andres Nocioni of Argentina. Terms were not disclosed. "He was a top talent in Europe and his work ethic and dedication will complement our team very well," Bulls general manager John Paxson said. The 6-foot-7-inch Nocioni, 24, comes to the Bulls after spending more than two seasons in the Euroleague with Tau Ceramica (Saski-Baskonia) of Vitoria, Spain. Last season in 10 regular-season Euroleague appearances with Tau Ceramica, he averaged 13.9 points and 6.6 rebounds.